Construction of bookbinding panels



Patented Dec. 17, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONSTRUCTION OF BOOKBINDING PANELS Frank Stanley Schade, Holyoke, Mass,assignor to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke, Mass., a corporationof Massachusetts Application December 22, 1934, Serial No. 758,757

' These metal margins serve both to enhance the 3 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of loose leaf books and thelike and more particularly to the construction of decorative back panelsfor such books.

In the construction of the better grades of binders of the abovecharacter the casing elements are entirely, or in part, formed of realleather. Leather gives desired richness of appearance and superiorwearing qualities to the binder, but lacks the stiffness and rigidityafforded by the less expensive and less attractive cloth or papercovered cardboard used in the cheaper binders. Moreover, where theconstruction of the binder exposes edges of the leather elements, theseexposed edges tend to show wear in advance of the rest of the binder.For these, among other reasons, it has been customary in the past toemploy other materials than leather in the back panels and this hasdetracted from the richness of the appearance of binders which wereotherwise covered with genuine leather. Further difiiculty has beenexperienced in providing such binders with suitable means foridentifying the contents of the binder without detracting from theappearance of the latter and in a manner to permit any desired change ofthe identifying indicia to be made without disfiguring the binder.

It is the principal object of the present invention to overcome thedifficulties above set forth and provide a back panel, at reduced cost,having the advantages of an enhanced appearance due in part to thepermitted use of leather in its construction, together with increaseddurability and improved means for supplying a changeable contentsidentification.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. l is a front view of a back panel made according to the invention,parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the panel shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section substantially on line 33 of Fig. l, with partsremoved;

Fig. 4 is a section substantially on line 4 l of Fig. 1, parts beingshown in displaced position; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 3 but showing an alternativeconstruction.

Referring to the drawing, the panel is shown as comprising a strip ofrelatively thick leather I, reenforced and stiffened by a sheet of thinmetal 2 which extends across the back of the panel and has its edgeportions bent around the long edges of the leather strip and onto theface of the panel to provide narrow metallic margins 3.

appearance of the panel as a whole and to protect the edges of theleather strip. As best shown in Fig. 2 the metal member 2 is curved togive the panel a rounded book back shape. 5

As indicated at 4, the ends of the leather strip may be extendedslightly beyond the ends of the metal member to carry out the limp orflexible characteristics usually associated with real leather bindersand which to a degree has been destroyed by the stilf back panelnecessitated by the mechanical structural requirements. The metalmargins 3 may be cut back at their end portions as at 5 to furtherenhance the appearance of the panel.

Fig. 3 indicates one way to provide for the riveting of the back panelto the rest of the book. As is well known in loose leaf binders, theback panel rivets form the means for attaching the loose leaf structureand the back panel to the 20 book structure. This is so well knowngenerally that I have not shown the rest of the loose leaf structure andthe book in the drawing, but only the back panel which embodies myinvention. The rivets, as indicated in Fig. 3, may have their 25 heads2| lying between the leather strip and the metal holder 2. In thisposition they are well hidden. The shank 2!! of each rivet can thenreceive the loose leaf structure and when headed over will retain thatand the back panel in place. 30 As will be seen, the rivets are thenpositioned for their complete function, not only with convenience butwithout marring the decorative surface of the leather. Other ways ofapplying the rivets can of course be used. But the decorative leatherstrip, its trough-shaped stiff metal holder, whose flanges contribute tothe decoration, may be assembled with the rivets into a convenient andefficient back panel structure.

In one manner of constructing the panel the leather strip I is dividedinto two sections, as shown at l in Figs. 1 and 3, the adjacent ends ofthese sections being partially cut away across the width of the strip asat 8 to provide a recess having substantially vertical top and bottomwalls 45 9. The sides of the recess are formed by the overhangingportions IU of the metal margins 3. The depth of the recess is madeequal to the combined thickness of an indicia carrying sheet I I, formedof heavy paper or the like, and a protective sheet of transparentcelluloid or other flexible transparent material indicated at I2. Asshown in Fig. 4, one edge of both sheets I I and I2 is inserted underthe overhanging portions I0 at one side of the recess, and the oppositeedges of the sheets are then sprung under the opposite portion In sothat the surface of the sheet 12 lies flush with the surface of thestrip l, the stiffness of the sheets keeping them in place untilintentionally removed.

There is some advantage in the facility with which the cuts 8 are madein making the strip 3 in two parts as above described. Furthermore, alarge range of panel sizes, relative positions of the indicia member,and sizes of the latter may be obtained from a few standard pieces ofvarying length and width of cut back by variously combining thedifferent pieces. If preferred, however, the strip I may be one piece,as shown in Fig. 5, and the indicia receiving recess is then formed bycutting a U-shaped channel I5 across the face of the strip. Theoverhanging portions III of the metal margin function in the samemanner, and the proportions and construction of the parts are otherwisethe same, as previously described.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the objects and advantagesin'appearanceand construction set forth in the introduction to thespecification have been attained and in a manner to reduce productioncosts.

I claim:

1. A back panel element in book construction for loose leaf binders andthe like which comprises ,a strip of decorative leather of substantialthickness, a sheet of Vmetal extending across one face of the leatherstrip, the edges of the metal sheet being bent around the long edges ofthe leather strip'and onto the outer face of the latter to form metalmargins for the decorative leather face of the panel, a recess formed inthe outer surface of the leather strip and extending across the width ofthe strip beneath the said metal margins, and an indicia sheet and atransparent protective sheet inserted'in said recess with their outeredges releasably engaged beneath the metal margins at the ends of therecess, said recess having a depth substantially equal to the combinedthickness of said indicia and protective sheets.

2. A back panel element in book construction for loose leaf binders andthe like which com- 5 prises a strip of decorative leather ofsubstantial thickness, a sheet of metal extending across one face of theleather strip, the edges of the metal sheet being bent around the longedges of the leather strip and onto the outer face of the latter 10 toform metal margins for the decorative leather face of the panel, saidleather strip being formed in two pieces, the adjacent edges of saidpieces being cut back to form a U-shaped recess extending across theouter face of the strip and be- 15 neath said metal margins, and anindicia sheet and a transparent protective sheet inserted in said recesswith their outer edges releasably engaged beneath the metal margins atthe ends of the recess, said recess having a depth substantially equal20 to the combined thickness of said indicia and protective sheets. 7 V

3. In a book binding construction a composite outer back panel structureadapted to be secured to the inner back panel of the binder which com- 25 prises, astrip of decorative limp material, a transversely curvedshallow trough-shaped metal hold- .er for said strip, the metal of saidholder extending completely across the back of said strip and having itsedges overlapping the long edges of 30 said strip and pressed againstthe outer surface of the strip to hold the strip in position and presenta long. unbroken metallic binding along a 7 narrow margin of each longside, and rivets positioned with their heads lying between the metal 35holder and said strip with their shanks extending outwardly from theback of the metal holder for securing the outer panel to the innerpanel.

FRANK STANLEY SCHADE.

